View full sizeWitnesses said Lonnie Lee Baker, 62, had been driving aggressively before the crash.Clackamas County Sheriff's Office

A Molalla motorist who collided with a bicyclist just before Christmas last year was sentenced Wednesday to six months in jail for drunk driving and attempted assault.

Witnesses said Lonnie Lee Baker, 62, had been driving aggressively when he ran his 2006 Dodge truck into John Kennedy Crosswhite of Happy Valley.

Crosswhite, 48, was traveling southbound on the shoulder of South Beavercreek Road near South Ferguson Road when he was struck. The incident occurred at 3 p.m. Witnesses saw Crosswhite fly into the air but did not see him collide with the truck.

A psychologist told Clackamas County Circuit Judge Thomas Rastetter that Baker has been grieving the loss of his own son who was murdered in 2010. The emotional pain contributed to Baker's drinking.

The crash almost killed Crosswhite, said prosecutor Michael Wu. "It's probably as close to a fatality as you can get. This could have been a case of manslaughter but for chance and for luck," Wu said.

Crosswhite, who was not wearing a helmet, was in a medically induced coma for days and suffered a fractured skull and a traumatic brain injury, Wu said.

Crosswhite and his father, who has been appointed his conservator, did not appear in court or provide a written victim's impact statement.